Calypso Monarch Semi-Finals Fiasco

TriniSoca.com Reporters
February 20, 2006

It seemed as though half the country had turned up at Skinner Park in San Fernando to witness the semi-final leg of the Calypso Monarch Competition. The venue started to blossom with supporters since about 10 in the morning. The unfortunate trend of tardiness has continued and the programme did not start until about twenty minutes after noon which was the proposed time.

Although many thought that many of the performers were weak and were not happy with the thirty semi-finalists selected, the judges still had a hard time trying to choose the final eleven who would attempt to dethrone the 'Chalkdust' in the Dimanche Gras Show.

The marvelous 'Almanac', who was the first guest performer of the event started things off with congratulations to the Trinidad and Tobago Football Team, who he deemed the heroes of our land. The second performance was by the legendary 'Mighty Bomber' who humored the audience with his song entitled "Soldier B". He came in full soldier gear and boasted of his excellent performance as a marksman and that he could hit bulls-eye time and time again without fail. Next in line was 'Mini Priest' singing his 2005 hit, 'Body Water' which had the audience swaying and singing along to the popular tune.

After the special guest performances, the programme moved right along to the actual competition. The first performer was Winston Henry, the 'Explainer', who sang his 2006 hit "Park It" followed by "The All Inclusive". Some outstanding acts were Heather Mac Intosh's "Ma Terese Deposit", Karene Asche's rendition of "Fear" and Brian London's "No Vacancy" which had the Savannah in a frenzy. Apparently, the Calypsos by these individuals were very relatable to the audience who are also victims of unjust norms and levels of discrimination in the society. Another very memorable performance was that of 'Brother Mudada' who sang about "Dem Judges". He emphasized the hypocrisy of some artistes who fault the judges when they loose and praise them when they win.

Although all the guest performers had good things to offer, all were outdone by the Soca Gladiator, Maximus Dan. His last song, "Soca Warrior" had the entire audience on their feet and chanting along to the football call. Even after the performer left, the audience still sang along to the tune and could not be controlled, not even by the comedic Tommy Joseph who struggled to tame the excited crowd.

After about twenty minutes of trying to calm the audience and the various rhythm sections that encouraged the revelry, the Mighty Shadow entered the stage. What was meant to be a fantastic performance was ruined by poor quality sound. It was very embarrassing, more so for the organizers of sound than for the 'Shadow' who still did his best despite the maddening conditions. The poor quality in sound also forced two competitors Kizzy Ruiz and Bally to repeat their renditions; both of whom sang of a 20/20 vision plan that is no where in the works. This does not mean that the other performers were more audible because they also struggled to be heard.

What was also pathetic was the poor quality lighting that did nothing to enhance the performances. Additionally, the fog machine proved to be more of a distraction than good quality visual effect. The image that was obtained was that of dust blowing on stage which blurred the stage. It would seem as though not much thought and planning went into the production of the event.

Would Brother Mudada agree or disagree with the final results? We would have to wait on that to find out.

Those who qualified for the finals:

Sobriquet / Name / Songs

Brother Mudada / Allan Fortune / 'Dem Judges' and 'A Message To New Orleans'

Rodrick Gordon / Rodrick Gordon / 'Doing Time' and 'Not In Trinbago'

Singing Sandra / Sandra Des Vignes Millington / 'Equal Justice' and 'To Much Ashes In The Urn'

Crazy / Edwin Ayoung / 'O'Land Of Mine' and 'Justice'

Brian London / Brian London / 'Who Am I' and 'No Vacancy'

The Original De Fosto Himself / Winston Scarborough / 'Bradley' and 'Soca Warriors'

Luta / Morel Peters / 'Check The Foundation' and 'Kaiso Kaiso'

Karene Asche / Karene Asche / 'Brother' and 'Fear'

Skatie / Carlos James / 'Ode To T&T' and 'Picture, Picture'

Sugar Aloes / Michael Osouna / 'Man' and 'Pump It Up'

Stinger / Dexter Parson / 'Is Only When' and 'He Not Big'

Calypso Monarch Semi-Finals in Pictures

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